The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-16
he replied IF am heartily in accord
With the gentleman. I fully share in his

he replied IF am heartily in accord
With the gentleman. I fully share in his
surprise and perplexity; it may be that
we at last have an instance of an effect
without a cause" Of course this is moi
the case. Perhaps the solution OF the
secret is to be found in Mr.. Roe's meth
cd of work, and the key to it is the title
/ of one of his most popular stories
ssNear Natures Heart" .'It appears to
me that the true impulse toward author.
ship does not arise from desire to please
any one, but rather from strong con-
sciousHess of something definite to say,
whether people will listen Or not. / can
honestly assert that I have never manu-
factured novel, and should I do SO ]
am sure it would be so wooden and life.
less that no one would read it. My
stories have come with scarcely any 70.
'lition on my part, and their characters
control me. II should move them
about like images, they would be but
images: In every book they often acted
just in a manner just The opposite from
that which I had planned. Moreover,
there are unwritten stories in my mind,
the characters of which are becoming
almost as real as the people I meet daily.
While composing narratives forget
everything and live in an ideal world,
which nevertheless is real fot the time.
The fortune of the characters effect me
deeply, and I truly believe that only as I
feel strongly will the reader beinterested.
4 book like a bullet can go only as far
as the projecting force carries it"
His subject takes possession of him.
he has something to say and he-puts his
soul into the saying of it, and when an
author. does this he is sure of his audi
ence. OF course he makes elaborate
studies after he has once conceived his
story, and with conscientious efforts gath.
.ers q wealth of material. Years were
spent in collecting the material for
1SaWithout q, Home," and when nearly
completed twas wholly rewritten and
.broadened in, its scope. Speaking OF
this work, he says: II have visited
iscoresof typical tenementa: have sat
day after day or the bench with police
Judges and have visited the station houses
repeatedly. There are few large retail
shops that i have not entered many
times, and have conversed with both
employers and employees"
He has studied the people as he studied
nature, with a warm and sympathetic
heart. He makes his characters clear as
most people in real life might be, and as
very many ere. And herein lies one
secret Of his success. His pictures Of
life are pure and eleyating. His books
arouse, insensibly it may be, the better
feelings in each reader, the subtle mag
netism Of q power for good permeates his
writings and makes itself felt in evel
widening circles.
I. Many of Mr.. Roe's readers undoubt.
edly know that few years ago he sus'
tained severe financial losses, but prob
ably only a few know the cause and his
subsequent efforts to make that loss good
His failure was due to generous indorse'
ment Of his brothers paper. He has
since, by the aid of his pen, satisfied
freely all claims against him. There is
no connection whatever, as some have
supposed. between his financial losses
and his writing. He Was not driven to
writing: he wrote becase he wanted to,
and had something to say.